1986 Beychevelle

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Blanquito
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1986 Beychevelle

Post by Blanquito »

1986 Château Beychevelle
PnP. Heavenly throwback bouquet of fire-roasted poblano, whiffs of menthol, lots of charming green (pine-juniper-wintergreen). With air aromas of old leather and some purple sweetness come out. Tannins are in a great place right now, resolved yet intact. Overall, enchanting bouquet, less midpalate depth than I recall, but huge length and finish. Wonderfully old school, there were some truly exhilarating moments drinking this (95+ pts), but it couldn't quite sustain that level from start to finish. Such a treat though. We caught this in a great place, no reason to wait. 93 pts.

This chateau is rapidly becoming my "Lagune", where the style and charm hit a real sweet spot for me (and usually far more so than for the critics). The 86 is a special year at Beychevelle of course, but I seem to like all of the vintages I've tried. Too bad I discovered this after its prices skyrocketed.
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AKR
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Re: 1986 Beychevelle

Post by AKR »

I loved every bottle of this. All gone now!

One of their real standouts.
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Comte Flaneur
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Re: 1986 Beychevelle

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Thanks for the vicarious note Patrick. It was as though I was there with you. When it comes to Beychevelle I am definitely on the same planet as you. Even the same hemisphere and land mass.

Its a shame about that dragon boat malarkey but Xi's anti-corruption campaign is now so fundamental - because it is a Trojan horse to purge his rivals in other factions - the Chinese bid won't be back at least until 2018 - after the next leadership plenum.

The day before we set off for Bordeaux we went to a Bordeaux tasting and Beychevelle 2005 stood a head above a very impressive field. Sensational. I love the 1996 and 2000 Beychevelle tried recently too.

Beychevelle 2005 I think is a must have.
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dstgolf
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Re: 1986 Beychevelle

Post by dstgolf »

Patrick,

Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure to try Beychevelle by the sounds of your note. Years ago one of my wino buddies trashed them and said their wines were terrible(back in the 90's at this time) so I've never given them a chance. If I come across some at auction I might bite if priced reasonably.

Ian,

What's the reference to Xi all about. Did the Chinese try to buy the Chateau??? or other that I'm missing??
Danny
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AKR
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Re: 1986 Beychevelle

Post by AKR »

It's always been kind of expensive, and the Chinese fondness for it just made it explode.

So now that bid is probably going away for a while, but the quality caught up to the price.

But the price surpassed my pocket a long time ago. I doubt I've tasted any since the 2000 vintage.

Given the quality, attention to detail etc, there's no reason why Lagrange shouldn't be at the same place.

But labels do matter to some market sectors.
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Blanquito
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Re: 1986 Beychevelle

Post by Blanquito »

I don't have enough tries under my belt to say anything definitive. That said, I've really loved the 66, 70, 82, 83, 86, and 88. The only disappointment was the 89, which was certainly very good but a letdown in context, but I've only had it once so who knows if my bottle was representative.

That said, I've been buying it up when I find it for decent prices. I got the 09 from Premier Cru for like $45-$50 a bottle (delivered already) and I just bought a 4 pack of the 1985 for $71/bottle. I've landed some 95 and 96 recently for reasonable tariffs, but it's hard work (or a fun way to waste time!).
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AKR
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Re: 1986 Beychevelle

Post by AKR »

The 89 was pretty good, surprisingly strong for the AOC. Once upon a time it was readily available. At this point, after a quarter century, the variability of bottles is too high.

They have pretty big production, but I wonder how much makes its way into the US nowadays.

The times I've had their second wine -- at the insistence of a friend who loves their grand vin -- it consistently disappointed.
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